Seeing Earth bloom colorfully, Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe, was disappointed rather than being happy with his invention that lay in front of him. He had nurtured Earth like his very own daughter, but he noticed that there was no one to appreciate her beauty and natural wealth. Someone to remember her in their time of need. Someone who would appreciate her flaws and love her just as she is.

He spent his whole night thinking about ways to make sure that his daughter was noticed. Suddenly, like a soap bubble popping with a plop, he had an idea. It was a powerful devious scheme. The biggest and the best idea he had ever had. Of course, he couldn't put his idea in action all by himself. He needed help.

Not wasting any time, the very next day, Lord Brahma conducted a meeting, inviting all his fellow Gods to approve and help in making his vision a mission. He had been preparing to face the Gods, practicing his speech beforehand. Though he was nervous, he cleared his throat and smiled brightly at his patient audience who looked at him wit all their attention on him.

"Thank you for coming here today." Lord Brahma began. " As you all know, my daughter, Earth, Pritvi is very beautiful and kind hearted."

"Yes." Goddess Parvati agreed. "She has a heart of gold and is as pure as milk."

"And yesterday, I even saw her letting Nandi, our troop head, to graze on her lands." Lord Shiva said, smiling kindly. He knew for one that if Pritvi had let Nandi, his bull to graze on her soil, then she must be a God herself. For, Nandi's appetite was something that always made Lord Shiva wonder out loud.

"I saw that too." Lord Brahma said, his eyes twinkling with excitement. If they agreed that Pritvi wasn't good but great, their chances of letting his idea work was still on. "And that is why I have called you here today."

"You have created a wonderful daughter, Lord." Lord Vishnu said. "But I know something is eating you up."

Lord Brahma nodded his head gravely. "I want someone to lean on her." He said. "Someone to care for her, love her and cherish her for all the things that she is."

"What are we here for then?" The sky Gods roared. A rumble of thunder shook rigorously making all of them turn their attention to them. "You promised us that you would marry her to us."

"Yes." Lord Brahma said, evenly. He hadn't forgotten the treaty they had made when Prithvi was still an inception. "I remember."

"But you two are so near, yet so far apart." Goddess Lakshmi sighed. Having been so far apart from her own husband, Lord Vishnu once, she had tasted the fruits of being remote to each other. "I know what it feels like."

Goddess Saraswati's eyes twinkled on hearing all the Gods speak. She had been dying to see what their reaction would be when her husband, Lord Brahma would tell them all the news. But they were just procrastinating it and she didn't have anymore patience left.

"So, my husband has planned to create humans, animals and birds for her company!" Goddess Saraswati clapped her hands together in excitement. "As her children, of course." She added quickly to make sure that the sky Gods didn't climb their imagination ladder too soon.

Lord Brahma let out a frustrated sigh. For he wanted to be the one to reveal his ideas to the lot. Shaking his head at his wife, who still wore a dazzling smile that said that she was with him in his plan, he continued. He then explained that the living beings could co-exist together and live happily. Of course, they wouldn't marry her and they would be her children just as Goddess Saraswati had mentioned.

"I need all your help in making sure that her children are okay." Lord Brahma looked at each and every one of them meaning everything he was saying. When they nodded their head at one of the greatest invention of the Lord as yet, Brahma let out a breath that he didn't know he held. If they hadn't agreed to his plans, he didn't know what to do. This was the biggest project and he knew that he couldn't complete it as a one man army.

"Lord Vishnu, you are the protector of everything that exists. Please look after them, let them feed and live in harmony with each other. Could you do that for my daughter, my Lord?" Lord Vishnu only nodded his head with a smile on his face - one of his reactions for everything that happened around him. But for Lord Brahma, that was more than enough.

"Saraswati is going to give them all the knowledge that she has." Lord Brahma said looking at his doting wife. "They would need all the blessings that you can give them, my dear."

"I will do my best." Goddess Saraswati smiled. She was more than willing to give all the knowledge that she held for anyone who approached her with modesty and zeal to learn more.

Lord Brahma then turned to Shiva. "Lord, you are the destroyer. We all know that when someone is born they are supposed to get back. A cycle of life. Could you make sure that her children will return back to her once their time is done?"

"I will." Lord Shiva said, giving a tight head nod to wards his followers, the Ganas.

Likewise, all the duties were distributed among the Gods to make sure that humans, animals and birds would live in harmony on Earth, the Prithvi ma. An auspicious day was fixed and the creation was done with the chanting of the stringent mantras. Once born, the humans, after seeing their mother, worshiped her in different forms, building temples in her name. But soon, they were going sick and started dying even when their time was not up.

This worried Lord Brahma and he went straight to Vishnu, who was supposed to look after them. But Lord Vishnu only smiled, as always. "Lord, with your enthusiasm, you forgot to tell them to eat to live. They are starving to death."

"Yes, Prithvi has a lot of fruits on her." Brahma said, waving his hands in the air. "They can eat and live peacefully."

"Think about it, Lord." Lord Vishnu said, before minding his own business.

Though Lord Brahma had gotten answers, he hadn't found the solution. He called for another meeting, asking for inputs to make sure that his daughter's children would eat and stay healthy.

"Ask them to eat." One of them said immediately, the voice telling that the answer was simple to have called a meeting. "But how much?" Asked another, creating a chaos.

The debate went on for days together, but the answer was not found. All of them went to Lord Vishnu for his input. After all, wasn't he the protector and the keeper?

"Ask them to eat once in three days." Lord said. "Though Prithvi's sources are plenty, hunger can make anyone do bad deeds to destroy themselves in the near future. We should keep their hunger as minimal as possible."

"I agree." Lord Brahma said, nodding his head. "I'll head there tomorrow and let them know."

"Don't worry about it." Lord Shiva said. "Nandi, my bull, goes there everyday to graze on her lands. Let him deliver the news when he's at it."

"I will not let you down, my Lord." Nandi said, bending his head as his bell around his neck jingled.

Thus, it was settled. The very next day, the news would be delivered and Prithvi can go back to not crying over her children's death. As the dawn broke, Nandi went ahead with his mission, to both graze and give them the information that would protect the humans from dying young. But when he went to his usual spot, he saw a few peanut plants on top of a hill and all his initial news delivery was gone with the wind.

How had he missed this spot when he came here everyday? Shaking his head sideways, he went ahead with a smile. If he had missed before, now it was time to savour it.

As he pulled the leaves, the roots came out and he saw the peanuts. They were so sweet that he almost forgot the intention of his early arrival on the lands. He munched as if he hadn't had a proper meal for days together.

While he was at it, a fellow human passed across Nandi. Looking at the bull, the human folded his hands in devotion, offering his small prayer. That was when Nandi was woken up from his diet.

"I'm with information, dear human." Nandi said, pride evident on his face as he was the chosen one to deliver the message from the Gods themselves. "I have information regarding the unusual and sudden deaths of yours. If you do as I say, then you will all live a long life."

"Pray tell, my Lord." The human said, his hands were still folded together.

Not being called as a Lord all his life, Nandi stood taller than he had before. "The Gods have discussed over this matter for a long time now. If you eat three meals per day, you will survive death!"

The sky thundered upon hearing Nandi's words. The trees shook violently and the birds flew haphazardly around. Nandi, out of his immaturity had mixed up his words. He had said three meals a day instead of one meal in three days. It was a terrible mistake. An error that the Gods were afraid of. How were they supposed to rectify it?

Being a demigod himself, Nandi's words couldn't be taken aback. How could Nandi be so careless about this important matter and jumble the words?

Lord Shiva was insulted. For he was the one who had entrusted this to his bull Nandi, who only messed it up after having a few shots of peanuts. Being the short tempered one, Lord Shiva cursed Nandi to never return back to the heavens. Considering how forgiving Prithvi was, Lord Shiva was sure that she would shelter him. But with more mouths to feed, Shiva knew that staying would be a problem not only for the humans but for Prithivi as well.

"You will turn to stone, this instant, Nandi!" Lord Shiva roared. He had visibly calmed down, but if one observed carefully, they could see the flecks of red around his eyes. The third eye was ready to open if one tried to raise his temper once more. "You will turn back to normal once a year. If you graze on her lands, along with the humans, who eat three meals per day, thanks to you, she is going to deplete soon." Shiva muttered. "Stay here and guard her. Take care of her kids."

Putting his chin down in shame, Nandi turned into stone statue on top of the hills. Not able to see the pain in the bull's eye, humans worshiped the bull, constructing temples in his name.

Every year, the humans bought peanuts for the bull when he took his normal form. A fair was conducted to welcome Nandi. People danced, celebrated and distributed the peanuts to one another. It was the same nut that had muffled Nandi's mind. Nandi, filled his stomach for the whole day and became statue just before the break of dawn.

Nandi who gobbled all he could on one single day grew taller and fatter each other. Humans who worshiped him noticed too. For the temple was now cracking at the sides not able to contain Nandi any more. No big buildings were enough to hold the bull who had started to grow.

The priest came by and folded their hands together praying the bull to stop growing. With strong, binding mantras, the priests kept an iron plate near Nandi's head, praying him not to grow any taller than what he already was. From then on, it is said that, Nandi hasn't grown taller. Some legends say that Lord Shiva was the one to place the iron plate.

In fact, with a height of around 4.6meters and a length of about 6.1 meters, the idol of Nandi in this temple is said to be one of the biggest in the world. This unique feature attracts many devotees and tourists to the place.

The temple constructed for Nandi, still exists in India and is worshiped every day. Every year, a peanut fair is held in the bull's name who had jumbled up the words after eating peanuts only to turn to stone as a form of punishment. Thought it is said that the bull doesn't grow taller in height now, it is noticed that the stone statue of bull is growing fatter every year. Many historians and geologists have visited the place and are still visiting in this modern India, but the answer to this mystery is still not found.

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A/N: The picture attached is the same Nandi Temple where this story is said to take place. There are many more legends and stories associated with this place, but this had always captured my attention.